Reuse fouled plugs?

[Arizona Wayne]

Hit them with some carb cleaner and they seemed to clean right up.  Mostly.  I should have stated in my initial post that these actually "are" new plugs and the rich running was only about a total of 10 minutes or so tops.  So we are not talking about caked on, baked on blackness here.  So perhaps I should not have said "greatly" fouled plugs in my post and should rather have said "newly" fouled plugs.  Maybe that contributed to why they were relatively easy to clean up.  

That's what I figured.  ;)  If a plug is really fouled, it's toast.

[balvenie]

             I'm obviously very late to this party but FWIW, my ultrasonic cleaner does a good job ;D

[Late to the party]

Back in the "good old days", when I was a teenager (pre-Elvis era), every gas station (they were called service stations in those days) had a spark plug cleaning device, which was a small box that was connected to the station's compressed air supply.  There was a hole into which one inserted a spark plug, then it first sand blasted the plug and then gave it a high velocity air cleaning.  Took about 10 seconds.  In those days, you didn't throw away a spark plug until there was nothing left of the electrode.

You sound old.

Yes, I remember those spark plug cleaning devices.

Yes, I used them, too.

Now I sound old.

Lateness.

[Chuck in Indiana]

Ok, I'm just sayin.. but. To all you guys that think they are fine after cleaning when they've been fouled., Put them on your tester. Most of them won't keep firing at 100 psi. That's my limit. If they won't do it, they hit the bin. They'll cause that erratic miss that drives you crazy trying to find.

[Triple Jim]

Ok, I'm just sayin.. but. To all you guys that think they are fine after cleaning when they've been fouled., Put them on your tester. Most of them won't keep firing at 100 psi. That's my limit. If they won't do it, they hit the bin. They'll cause that erratic miss that drives you crazy trying to find.

Do you file the center electrode so the edge is nice and sharp after blasting them?

[Arizona Wayne]

Do you file the center electrode so the edge is nice and sharp after blasting them?

Are you saying if you do that then they're good again?   Makes sense, now that I think about it.  :-\

[Triple Jim]

Are you saying if you do that then they're good again?   Makes sense, now that I think about it.  :-\

Well, I'll say that a sharp edge promotes the formation of sparks better than a dull one.  I believe that if you redo the sharp edge, a blasted and cleaned plug will fire about like a new one, but I realize that others may have different experiences.

By the way, just using an air blast to remove sand after blasting doesn't do it for my plugs.  Grains of sand get trapped between the porcelain and the steel, way down near where they meet, and I've always had to pick it out, and then use an air blast to get the remaining dust out.

[johnr]

Back in the "good old days", when I was a teenager (pre-Elvis era), every gas station (they were called service stations in those days) had a spark plug cleaning device, which was a small box that was connected to the station's compressed air supply.  There was a hole into which one inserted a spark plug, then it first sand blasted the plug and then gave it a high velocity air cleaning.  Took about 10 seconds.  In those days, you didn't throw away a spark plug until there was nothing left of the electrode.

I remember those, and why throw away a perfectly good spark plug? It's like buying a new car because yours ran out of petrol.

It's fuel fouling so will pretty much wipe off. Failing that I would use a wire brush, preferably a soft metal one (brass or copper) making sure I got down around the insulator, air blast if available, set and replace.

[kevdog3019]

I remember those, and why throw away a perfectly good spark plug? It's like buying a new car because yours ran out of petrol.

It's fuel fouling so will pretty much wipe off. Failing that I would use a wire brush, preferably a soft metal one (brass or copper) making sure I got down around the insulator, air blast if available, set and replace.

Just used a softer brass brush on my lawn mower (same NGK as Guzzi btw) and leaf blower. Worked great and the blower had some funny deposits on it (like formation of sand crystals). Cleaned up good and run great after a brush down. I can't see how this brush could do any damage. Figured I'd try to get another year out of them.

[Triple Jim]

I can't see how this brush could do any damage.

The problem comes up when a brush writes on the porcelain, causing some unwanted conductivity to ground.  Both brass and steel can do that.  If yours didn't, you got it made in the shade.